Electrode holder



` July 5, 1927. 1,634,957

L. E. MULLER ELECTRODE HOLDER Filed Oct. 26, 1925 1N ATToeA/EY Patented July 5, 1927. j

lPATENT OFFICE.

LOUIS E. MULLER, OF LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA.

ELECTRODE HOLDER.

Application tiled October 26, 1925. Serial No. 64,842.

My present invention is an electrode holder especially designed to assure a proper cooling and the avoidance of all risks to the user of the same in electric welding operations, or the like.

It is an object of this invention to provide a holder, of the general character referred to comprising a conductive organization within an insulating grip member, with means for'bringin a current lead wire diagonally into a c amping device near one end of the mentioned grip: and. in preferred embodiments of my invention, the mentioned conductive organization may comprise an apertured central steel strip at one end of which the mentioned clamping device is provided, within an apertured grip, the apertures of said strip and said gr1p being intended primarily to assure a proper cooling of the same. Said central strip,which may be formed of a resilient metal such as steel may terminate forwardly in one of a pair of gripping jaws, may be supplemented, to diminish the resistance of the conductive organization comprising the same, by the use of one or more wires, of superior conductivity, extending substantially parallel with said strip, one or more of said wires being preferably welded, at one end, to said strip or to said clamp,-and the opposite ends thereof being preferably carried forward, through a spacing element (which may support not only the mentioned grip but a ange at the inner end thereof) ;v and when a pair of conductive copper wires are provided, in the indicated manner, on opposite sides of a central steel strip, both of said wires may advantageously be welded thereto in the region of said fiange, and one of said wires may advantageously be practically continuous with a second resilient jaw element,-such as a jaw element formed of steel wire; and this latter jaw may also be welded to the steel strip constituting said first mentioned jaw element, in the vicinity of said iiange.

Other objects of my invention (which may include a rearwardly extending and externally threaded projection integral with the socket element at the inner end of the mentioned steel strip, and means whereby the rotation of a correspondingl threaded and insulated cap is effective to a Vance a clamping member into said socket, and may include also threaded means for retainin the mentioned insulating flange between a Xed shoulder or subsidiary ange and the mentioned grip and the mentioned supportinor element, and may also include preferre types of resilient jaws for thev retaining of short sections of wire or other stock, to be consumed in welding operations) may be best understood from the following description of an illustrative embodiment thereof, taken in connection with the appended claims and the accompanying drawings, in which Fig. 1 may be regarded as an elevational view of an electrode holder illustrating my invention, this view being shown from the direction indicated by the arrow 1 of Fig. 2.

Fig. 2 is a longitudinal sectional view, taken substantially as indicated by the line 2-2 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a transverse sectional view, taken substantially` as indicated by the line 3 3 of Fig. 2.

Fig. 4 is an end elevational view, taken libstantially as indicated by the arrow 4 of Referring to the details of that specific embodiment of my invention 'chosen for purposes of illustration` 11 may be a substantially central strip of resilient metal, such as steel, this strip being shown as provided with Ventilating apertures 12 and as terminating forwardly in a channel shaped jaw 13. The strip 11 may constitute the central element of a conductive organization comprising also one or more wires or rods 14, 15. shown as disposed parallel therewith, these last mentioned elements being formed of a more conduct-ive metal, such as copper, and bein respectively welded or otherwise united w1th the stri 11 near their forward ends,-as in the vicinity of an engagement between the strip 11 and a spacing element 16. The latter is shown as externally threaded, to adapt the same to support an insulating grip 17, and optionally also a iange 18, near one end thereof.

The hollow grip 17 is shown as provided with Ventilating apertures 19 and as slightly thickened at 20, 1n a region which is provided With interior threads; and, instead of employing the end 21 of the mentioned grip secure y to retain the fiange 11 against a subsidiary flange or shoulder 22, shown as integral with the spacing element 16, I may optionally interpose a threaded retaining ring 23. In case this retainin ring is formed of conductive material, may optionally cover it with an insulating band or extension 24, which may overlap the adjacent end of the grip 20, or may be integral therewith.

One of the conductive wires or rods 14, 15 may terminate, as shown at 25, in such manner as to provide, at 26, a region of maximum flexibility in the strip ll-the channel-shaped jaw 13 being substantially rigid; and a narrow companion jaw 27, which instead of being correspondingly concaved, may have an exterior diameter corresponding to the interior diameter of said channel-shaped jaw, as shown, to render it capable of entering partially therein, may be circular in cross sectional outline, and may be formed practically continuous with another of the mentioned wires or rods (as, the wire or rod 15) by welding a steel rod or wire (at 28) both to the end of the copper wire or rod, and also (at 29) to the strip 11; and the resiliency of the jaw 27 may be further enhanced by the provision of any desired curvature therein, as at 30. A limited flexibility in the jaws 13 and 17 is of course favorable to the secure retention of short sections of any metallic stock, such as wires 31, to be consumed in welding operations.

At their inner ends, the strip 11 and the wires or rods 14 and 15 may be united to one another or either or both may be united to a socket element 32, adapted to receive a conductive lead wire, such as the bared end 33 of an insulated copper wire, the mentioned socket being diagonally disposed and positioned favorably to the insertion of the wire 33 through one of the mentioned openings (as the opening 19) in the grip 17; and the mentioned socket element may be integral with a tubular extension 34, which is shown as externally threaded at 35 suitably to engagement by interior threads upon a cap 36 (shown as provided with an insulating cover 37), this cap being adapted, whether or not mtegral therewith, to impart longitudinal movement to a clamping member 38, shown as engaging the wire 33.

As to its mode of use, my electrode holder is intended to be employed, in welding or analogous operations, substantially in the manner with which workers in this art are already familiar, essential advantages of the described construction being: the security of the grip provided by the special construction of the jaws 13 and 27; the high conductivity of the described longitudinally extending interior parts (this hi h conductivity avoiding local heat-ing e ects) the cooling effects assured by the mentioned aperturing of the strip 11 and the tubular insulating grip 17, which surrounds a portion thereof (and also by the lateral spacing of the highly conductive wires or rods 14, 15 from the strip 11); the effective insulating of all parts with which the hands of the user may come in contact; the rigid support of the open-ended grip 17 in spaced relationship from the described conductive organization; and (last but not least), my described use of a diagonally disposed socket member to receive the lead wire or wires 13, and my novel means for securely but reliably clamping said lead wire or wires in said socket.

The diagonal disposition of the socket member 32, and the consequent angular relationship between my electrode holder and the insulated wire or cable by which current is brought thereto, are favorable not only to the keeping of said conductor out of the way of the work, but also to the avoidance of any deterioration of the contact, or any breakage at the point of connectiom-witli a consequent local overheating of parts or interruption of the current, and a corresponding loss of time.

Although I have herein described a single complete embodiment of my invention, it should be understood that various features thereof might be independently employed, and also that numerous modifications might be made, by those skilled in the art to which this case relates, without the slightest departure fromI the spirit and scope of my invention, as the same is indicated above and in the following claims.

' I claim as my invention:

1. In an electrode holder of the general character described: a longitudinally extending conductive organization; a laterally apertured insulating grip member surrounding a portion thereof; and means, near one end of said gri member for supporting the same in space relationship to said conductive organization,said conductive organization comprising a central element formed of a resilient metal and provided, within said grip, with Ventilating apertures,'and disposed substantially parallel with wires, of a more conductive metal, Whose ends are secured thereto.

2. In an electrode holder of the general character described: a longitudinally extending conductive organization; a laterallyI apertured insulating grip member surrounc ing a portion thereof; and means, near one end of said gri member for supporting the same in spacedp relationship to said conductive organization,said organization comprising a narrow jaw and a central strip terminating in a channel-shaped jaw which is resiliently connected and which has an internal diameter corresponding to the external diameter of said narrow jaw.

3., In an electrode holder of the general character described: a longitudinally extending conductive organization; a laterally apertured insulating rip member surrounding a portion thereo and means, near one lll) end of said gri member, for supporting the same in space relationship to said conductive organization,-said conductive organization comprising a steel strip secured within a threaded spacing element and supplemented byl a plurality of copper wires extending through said spacin element.

4. An electrode holder of t e general character described: a longitudinally extending conductive organization; a laterally a ertured insulating grip member surroun in a portion thereof; and means, near one en of said grip member, for supporting the same in spaced relationship to said conductive organizati0n,-said conductive organization comprising a steel strip secured within a threaded spacing element vand supplemented by a plurality 0f copper wires extending through said spacing element, one of said wires being structurally continuous with a resilient jaw.

5. In an electrode holder of the general character described: a longitudinally extending conductive organization; a laterally apertured insulating grip member surrounding a portion thereof; and means, near one end of said grip member, for supporting the Same in spaced relationship to said conductive organization,-said su porting member comprisin a threaded bo y surrounded by an insulating flange, and by one end of said insulating grip.

6. In an electrode holder of the general character described: a longitudinally extending conductive organization; a laterally apertured insulating grip member surrounding a portion thereof; and means, near one end of said grip member, for supporting the same in spaced relationship to said conductive organization,-said conductive organization comprisin a lead-receiving socket which is incline Vrelatively to the longitudinal axis of conductors extending through said grip.

7. In an electrode holder of the general character described: a longitudinally extending conductive organization; a laterally apertured insulating grip member surroundlng a portion thereof; and means, near pne end of said grip member, for supporting the same in spaced relationship to said conductending conductive organization; a laterally apertured insulating grip member surrounding a portion thereof; and means, near one end of said grip member, for supporting the same in spaced relationship to said conductive organizatiom-said conductive organization comprising a lead-receiving socket which is inclined relatively to the longitudinal axis of conductors extending through said grip and is provided with clamping means projecting rearwardly through said Uri o 91.) In an electrode holder of the general character described: a longitudinally extending conductive organization; a laterally apertured insulating grip member surrounding a portion thereof; and means, near one end of said grip member, for supporting the same in spaced relationship to said conductive organization,-said conductive organization comprising a lead-receiving socket which is inclined relatively to the longitudinal axis of conductors extending through said grip and is provided with clamping means projecting rearwardly through said grip, said clamping means comprising an externally threaded extension through which projects a lead-engaging member which is movable by the rotation of a cap upon said extension.

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto set my hand at Los Angeles, California, this 20th day of October, 1925.

LOUIS E. MULLER. 

